Burkina Faso recently found itself on the list of yet another international human rights watchlist, despite the complex security challenge the country is currently facing.
- Burkina Faso faces severe security challenges but maintains strong economic growth, with GDP growth reaching 5.3% in 2025.
- The country was placed on the CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist due to growing concerns over civic freedoms and rights.
- In 2026, the government dissolved 118 civil society organizations and suspended unions such as the largest student union on grounds of legal non-compliance and accusations of terrorism support.
- New restrictive laws have criminalized same-sex relationships, allowed for citizenship revocation, and imposed heavy administrative burdens on organizations.
Given its war against insurgencies, juxtaposed against being one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies, Burkina Faso has been listed by the CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist group as a country of concern.
The military government, which seized control in 2022, is set to have a more impressive economic outlook in 2026 than it did in previous years.
According to the World Bank, the West African country “showed resilience in 2025, with real GDP growth estimated at 5.3%, up from 4.8% in 2024. Real GDP per capita also increased from 2.5% to 3% over the same period.”
“Hamoud Abdel Wedoud Kamil, World Bank Country Manager for Burkina Faso, stressed that “Burkina Faso has demonstrated remarkable macroeconomic resilience.
Continued efforts to consolidate these achievements, by strengthening fiscal sustainability, improving the business environment, and increasing investment in growth engines, inclusive and productive activities could help sustain this momentum.”
Despite this, Burkina Faso’s security challenge continues to taint the progress the country is experiencing on the economic front.
As a result, CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist recently highlighted serious concerns regarding the exercise of civic freedoms in Burkina Faso, alongside Bahrain, Ecuador, Georgia and India.
What CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist stated
“On 15th April 2026, Burkina Faso’s Minister of Territorial Administration issued an order dissolving 118 CSOs, citing non-compliance with Law 011-2025/ALT on freedom of association, a law adopted in July 2025 which introduced strict reporting, administrative, and legal compliance requirements for CSOs,” the group revealed.
“Unions and religious associations were not spared. On 26th May 2026, the Minister of Territorial Administration issued an order suspending the General Student Union of Burkina Faso (UGEB), the largest student union, for a renewable period of three months on accusations of ‘glorifying terrorism’.”
According to CIVICUS, the government of Burkina Faso implemented restrictive laws and regulations, such as the 2025 Code of Persons and Family, which criminalizes same-sex relationships and gives authorities the authority to revoke citizenship for anyone deemed to act against state interests, in addition to dissolving and suspending CSOs and associations.
Furthermore, CSOs must now keep cash accounts with the state-run Treasury Deposit Bank and obtain a “statistical visa” before doing research.
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“In January 2026, Burkina Faso’s government authorities formally dissolved all political parties, stating the decision as being part of efforts to ‘rebuild the state” and claiming that the “proliferation of political parties has led to excesses, fostering division among citizens and weakening the social fabric’.
The dissolution decree repealed all laws regulating political parties and requires parties to transfer their assets to the State. Activities of political parties had been suspended since 30th September 2022,” it stated.
“In the past years, several media outlets were suspended by the national media regulator, the High Council for Communication (CSC), as a result of their reporting, in particular on the security situation,” it added.
